The present invention relates to a trash collector. Such a trash collector comprises a bucket and a lid as well as a pedal arrangement and a lever arrangement. The lid covers the bucket and is fastened in a pivotal fashion in the area of the upper brim of the bucket in order to pivot it upwards to open the trash collector. The pedal arrangement is arranged near the bottom of the bucket and is connected via the lever arrangement to the lid, in order to pivot the lid by a motion of the pedal arrangement.
Trash collectors of this type have been known for quite some time in various embodiments. By stepping onto the pedal the lid is pivoted upwards via the lever arrangement in order to open the trash collector. Upon release of the pedal the lid flips downwards automatically, usually due to gravity, so that the bucket of the trash collector receiving the refuse is covered again and thus the trash collector is closed once more.
Commonly such a trash collector exhibits a cover to which the pedal arrangement, the lever arrangement, and the lid are fastened, and which receives a bucket, that can be separately removed. In order to discard the refuse, the bucket can therefore be separated from the cover, the lid, and particularly the pedal arrangement and the lever arrangement.
Trash collectors of the prior art with a lid, pivotal upon a pedal being pressed, have the problem that with increasing volume of the trash collector and accordingly increasing lid area the lid becomes heavier and heavier and thus the lever arrangement must transfer appropriately large forces. This results in respective requirements for the stability of the pedal arrangement, the lever arrangement, and the bearings for the movable parts thereof.
In order to avoid this problem, it is known for example from DE 203 05 521 U1 to provide a trash collector of the type mentioned at the outset with a multi-part lid, which exhibits two lid sections, each of which pivotal about a separate axis. The lever arrangement essentially comprises two push rods, which are jointly fastened to a pedal arrangement and mounted with their upper ends in an articulate fashion to the lid sections such that these are pivoted upwards upon operation of the pedal. Here, each lid section is pivoted upwards and to the side about a separate pivotal axis in order to release the opening of the bucket.
The two lid sections of the trash collector according to prior art are fastened pivotally to the upper brim of an encasement, which receives the lever arrangement and a bucket, which can be separately removed, as well as the pedal arrangement. When the lid sections are completely opened, the separate bucket can be removed in order to discard the collected trash. Due to the fact that here it is necessary to pivot the two lid sections by at least 90°, so that the horizontal projection area of the bucket is completely released, return springs are provided within the lever arrangement, which ensure that the lid sections automatically and independent from gravity fold shut when the pedal is not actuated. This return motion must be braked by a damper element, in order to cushion the spring forces of the return springs, acting in addition to gravity.
For reasons of cost efficiency it is however not advantageous to embody the trash collector with a double wall, thus providing an encasement, which receives a separately removable bucket, particularly since in a large volume trash collector the bucket generally must be lined by the user with a trash bag, which can be removed from the bucket for discarding the collected trash. In particular in case of a cost-effective production of the trash collector from plastic, particularly preferred within the scope of the present invention, the double-walled embodiment leads to significantly higher material costs as well as the need for a separate production of the individual parts, with corresponding higher expenses.